Quad stranding machine



Jan. 22, 1935. H. J. DEACON 1,988,586

QUAD STRANDING MACHINE Filed May 7, "1931 INVENTOR H. J. DEA CON A TORNFY Patented Jan. 22, 1935 QUAD STRANDING' mom Henry J. Deacon, Aldwych,London, England, assignor to Western Electrlc Company, Incorporated, NewYork, N. Y., a corporation of New York Application May 7, 1931, SerialNo. 535,049 In Great Britain June 4, 1930 tclaims.

This invention relates to machines for twisting wires or groups of wiresinto units and more particularly to machines for forming cable units for.communication cables.

Communication cables and more particularly telephone cables are usuallymade up oi a plurality 01' units such as quads, each consisting ofindividual wires or strands appropriately twisted Y together. The mostcommon unit is the quad which consists of two pairs of wires twistedtogether.

The machines at present used for producing units such as quads or pairshave several disadvantages. The bobbins carrying the wires or pairs ofwires to be twisted together are mounted at points removedfrom the axisof rotation of the machine and consequently, as the machine rotates thebobbins are subjected to deleterious eflects due to centrifugal or otherunbalanced forces with the result that the speed of the machine has tobe limited in order that the product shall be of the desired quality.

The present invention overcomes these disadvantages in that it providesa twisting machine in which bobbins or reels carrying the supply of wireor strand to be twisted into units are arranged on the same axis as theaxis of rotation of the machine.

The invention will be more clearly understood from the followingdetailed description when read in conjunction with the accompanyingdrawing in which:

Fig. 1 shows one form of machine for twisting two wires or two pairs ofwires into a unit; and Fig. 2 shows another form of machine for twistingfour wires into a quad.

Fig. 3 shows-amodifled form of a part of the gear train shown in Figs. 1and 2, the modiflcation being applicable to of Fig. 1 or Fig. 2.

The machine illustrated in Fig. 1 may be used for twisting two wiresinto a pair, for twisting two pairs into a quad or for twisting any twounits together to form a larger unit. For convenience either of the geartrains I the following description is with reference to the of which ismounted on a main shaft 2 which is driven from a suitable source ofpower (not shown).

Between the bearing columns 20 and 21 is mounted a cage 14 consisting ofa series of lateral members 36 and a series of radial or transversemembers 37. In this cage 14 is rotatably mounted by means of bearings 40and 41 a second yoke '1 carrying a reel 9 of paired wire 11. Case 14 isrotated from the main shaft 2 through a chain 15 and sprockets 38 and39. On the bearing column 21 and projecting inside the cage 14 ismounted a stationary gear wheel 16 with which engages an idlerv wheel 17carried by the cage, there being another gear wheel 18 fixed on a shaft19 which is also rotatably mounted in the cage. At the other extremityof the shaft 19 there is arranged a variable train of gears consistingof a driver 23, an idler 34 and a driven gear 35, the latter beingmounted on the yoke 7. By this arrangement the rotary movement of thecage causes a. rotary movement to be imparted to the yoke arrangedtherein and the speed of the yoke can be varied by suitably varying thegear train arranged between the cage and the yoke (see Fig. 3).

The bearing 4 is hollow and may contain a forming or twisting die thepair 10 from the reel 8 is led through it and twisted. The pair thenpasses over grooved guide wheels 24 and 25 past and around the yoke 7 tothe forming die or lay plate 28 fixed to the cage and then through thebearing 3 which is also hollow where it meets the pair 11 from the otherreel 9.

The pair 11 from the reel 9 is passed through the hollow bearing 41which may contain a form ing or twisting die; the pair is twisted andpassed over grooved guide wheels 26 and 27 to the forming die or layplate 28 and through the hollow bearing 3 where it is formed into quads13 with the other pair 10 from reel 8. The speeds at which the yokes 6and 7 rotate can be varied by changing one of the gear wheels of thetrain 31, 32 and as or 23, 34 and 35, and the direction of rotation ofeither or both of the yokes may be changed by the removal of one or bothof the idler wheels 32 or 34. In this case the corresponding gear wheels31' and 33 or 23 and 35, respectively, are replaced by gear wheels ofcor-- respondingly greater diameter, as is shown in detail in Fig. 3,which shows a suitable modified form of the invention as applied to thatpart of Fig. 1 or Fig. 2 which is comprised between the dotted lines aand b. Although applied to the gear train gears 23, 34 and 35 themodified form shown in Fig. 3 may equally be well applied to the geartrains comprising gear wheels 31, 32 and 33 or to that comprising gearwheels 16, 17 and 18.

In operation, the rotation of the 'yoke 6 puts a twist into pair 10 andthe rotation of yoke 7 puts a twist into the pair 11 whereas therotation of the cage 14 causes the pairs 10 and ll to be twistedtogether. The relative length of twist of pair 10 is determined by theconstitution of the train of gears 31, 32, 33 and tlfe length of twistof pair 11 by that of train 23, 34, 35. The

length of twist of the quad is determined by the rate of rotation of thecage 14.

The "pairs forming the quad may be pulled through the machine by anysuitable capstan unit from which the finished quads pass to'a suitabletake-up unit. V

Fig. 2 shows another form of machine embodying the invention and inwhich a multiple twist quad is formeddirect from the individual wires.Parts corresponding with those. of the machine illustrated in Fig. 1 areillustrated by corresponding references and it will be seen that themachine difie'rs from that shown in Fig. 1 mainly in that each of theyokes 6 and 7 carries two reels. In the yoke 6 these reels are indicatedat 8c and 8b and in the yoke '7 at 9a. and 9b. The reels are arrangedaxially one behind the other, and the wires 10a and 10b are twistedtogether as they leave the yoke 6, the wires 11a and 11b are twistedtogether as they leave the yoke 7 and the twisted pairs are twistedtogether to form a quad, at the exit end of the cage 14. As previously'described the twists or lays of the wires or pairs can be varied byvarying the relative speeds of the yokes or of one or more yokes inrelation to the cage.

What is claimed is:

1. A cable forming machine comprising a rotary cage and a plurality ofrotary yokes each equipped with at least one rotatably mounted reel,said reel carrying a pair of wires to be twisted together to form atwisted pair, means 5 .ior rotating said yokes, said yokes beingarranged horizontally so that their horizontal axes of rotationsubstantially coincide with the axis of rotation of said cage, and meansincluding said rotary cage for twisting said twisted pairs of wirestogether to form a twisted quad.

2. A cable forming machine comprising a rotary cage, a plurality ofrotary yokes, means for supporting coiled wires on each of said yokeswith the center of massof said coiled wires approximately on the axis ofrotation of said yokes, and means for supporting and individuallyrotating said yokes and cage about a common axis.

3. A cable forming machine as defined in claim 2 characterized in thatsaid means for supporting coiled wires comprises two reels whoseindividual axes of rotation are parallel and are perpendicularlybisected by the axis of rotation of said yoke, each of said reelscarrying a single wire, whereby the rotation of each of said yokescauses the wires to be laid into twisted pairs.

4. A cable forming machine as defined in claim 2, characterized in'thatsaid means for supporting coiled wires comprises a single reel carryinga pair of wires wound thereon whereby the rotation of each of said yokescauses-the wires on each reel to be twisted together.

5. A machine for twisting signaling conductors into cables comprising adriving element, a plurality of rotary driven elements carryingsignaling conductors to be laid up in pairs and having coinciding axesof rotation, a cage rotatable around an axis which substantiallycoincides with the axes of rotation of said driven elements, said andyokes about a common axis, and at least one wire carrying reel supportedon each of said yokes with the axis of said reels substantiallyperpendicularly bisected by said common axis.

'7. A communication cable forming machine comprising a plurality ofrotatable yokes, a plurality of wire carrying reels supported by saidyokes with their axes approximately perpendicularly bisected by the axisof rotation of said supporting yokes, means for individually rotatingsaid yokes to twist said wires from said reels together, a rotatablecage, means for rotating said cage to twist the twisted wire from saidyokes into a cable, and supporting means for supporting said yokes andcage with their axes of rotation substantially colinear.

8. A quad twisting machine comprising two rotatable yokes, means forsupporting two coiled wires on each of said yokes with the center ofmass of said coiled wires approximately on the axis of rotation of saidsupporting yokes, means for individually rotating said yokes to form atwisted pair of wires from said two wires supported thereon, a rotatablecage, meansfor rotating said cage to form a twisted quad from saidtwisted pairs of wires and means for rotatably supporting said cage andyokes with their axes substantially colinear.

A HENRY J. DEACON.

